An Easy Way To Promote Swimming

Watch any swimming race on television and you won’t know who is swimming or what times they are splitting.

Here is a picture of a relay on television. Viewers are provided the event name, the ongoing timer, and what the World Record split was at this point in the race.

After a touch/split, viewers now know how far away the leader is from the World Record split. We know what team/country is currently is in first place, second place, and third place. We don’t know who is on the relay. We have no idea what these people’s times are. We don’t know who are in the other 5 lanes.

What information is provided at the split is gone in 5 seconds.

Wouldn’t it make logical sense to let the audience in on WHO is swimming and WHAT their times are?

According to Rowdy Gaines, the media outlets have no say in this. This is a FINA decision, so I decided to write them a letter.

Dear FINA:

I understand the concept of allowing viewers to know who is swimming and how fast they are going is a little bit radical; but, it would be great to know.